Can piercing and delivery device



K. HELLER cm PIERCING AND DELIVERY DEVICE Feb.'17, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Oct 3, 1957 47 Z 4422 Z529 i Feb. 17, 1959 K. HELLER 2,

CAN PIERCING AND DELIVERY DEVICE Filed Oct. 3, 1957' 4 Sheets-Shet 2'Feb. 17, 1959 K. HELLER 5 3 CAN PIERCING AND DELIVERY DEVICE Filed00+... 5, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Feb. 17, 1959 K. HELLER CAN PIERCING ANDDELIVERY DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed 001:. 3, 1957 United St t s PatenOff ce CAN PIERCING AND DELIVERY DEVICE Karl Heller, Jersey City, N. J.

Application October 3, 1957, Serial No. 688,809

7 Claims. (Cl. 222-81) The present invention relates to can piercingdevices which after formation of a hole in a can top thereby may be usedas a delivery or pouring means or spout for the can contents.

.A general object of the present invention is to provide such a canpiercing and delivery device of simple construction which may be easilyemployed to cut an opening in a can top by seating or resting it on thelatter and depressing it, the device thereafter remaining securely onthe top and forming an effectively tight closure of the cut hole forprotection of the can contents, the closure being readily manipulatablewithout removal to permit successive pouring of portions of the cancontents through the device, such device being forcibly removable in aready manner from the can for use with another can after the contents ofthe first has been dispensed therethrough.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide the device in theform of a hollow blade mounted upon a lever arm seatable loosely on acan top so that a blow thereon by the heel of the hand will cause theblade.

by downward swing to cut in the can top a hole in which the blade mayremain snugly engaging the edges of the hole at all points effectivelyto prevent or minimize contents and gas or air leakage therebetween, thepassage through the hollow blade being used as a delivery passageclosable atwill by closure means thereof for effective closure of thepassage in a substantially air-tight manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a reusableembodiment of this piercing and delivery device which is particularlysuited to use with one pound, rolled top coffee cans which after beingapplied to the coffee can top in the indicated simple manner may remainthereon as an effective closure guarding against staling of the groundcoffee contents until all of it has been de-' livered therethrough,small portion by small portion, the device having a readilymanipulatable passage closure to permit such portion-by-portion deliverywhile allowing contents-protecting closure of the can between thedelivery uses of the device; the device also permitting use thereof in amanner which measures to an acceptable degree of accuracy the quantityof each delivered portion. A further object of the invention is toprovide structural embodiments of the device which are readily andeconomically constructed in a simple manner permitting rapid massproduction thereof at reasonable cost, and which allow eflicient use andoperation thereof.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope ofthe invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the inventionreference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

..Fig. l is a perspective view, to reduced scale, of a 4, 2,873,885Patented Feb. 17,1959

one pound can or tin of ground coffee showing an embodiment of the. canpiercing and delivery device of the present invention superposed orseated on the top thereof.

in position for and prior to the piercing of the latter;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, with parts broken.

structure, with parts of the can broken away and in section, and withthe piercing and delivery device shown in longitudinal section in itsposition on the can top after the latter has been pierced thereby;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail, with parts broken away,

taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, but to full scale;

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail, with parts broken away, takensubstantially on line 55 of Fig. 3, also to full scale; v

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail, with parts broken away, takensubstantiallyon line 6-6 of Fig. 2, likewise to. full scale;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view 'to full scale, with parts broken away, ofthat portion of the can top which is pierced by the device when forceddown from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3and showing the hole formed therein by the piercing blade of the deviceafter the latter has been removed therefrom;

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail view to full scale, with parts broken away,of a portion of the can at the pierced hole indicating in plan thebottom side-of that portion of the top shown in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a top plan diagrammatic View of the can top and the embodimentof the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 prior to depression of the deviceto pierce the can top;

Fig. 10 is a side elevational diagrammatic view of the parts shown inFig. 9, with certain parts of the can and the top thereof indicated indotted lines;

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic plan view similar to Fig.9 of thestructureshown in Fig. 3 after the device has-been depressed to pierce the cantop; I

Fig. 12 is a'diagrammatic, side elevational view similar to Fig. 10 ofthe structure shown in Fig. 11, with parts of the can indicated indotted lines;

Fig. 13 is a full scale side elevational view of a modified form of theblade of the device which has been found in practice to be operable, andindicating in dotted lines the lever arm to which the blade is mounted;a

Fig. 14 is a back elevational view of the blade shown in Fig. 13; N

Fig. 15 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away and insection, of the structure shown in Fig. 3, indicating inversion of thecan and manipulation ofthe closure of the blade passage of the device tothe open pouring position and illustrating delivery of can contentstherefrom; e f

Fig. 16 is a view similar to Fig. 15 but with the closure of the devicein closing position and illustrating manipulation of the inverted can touse the device as means for measuring the quantity of can contents to bedelivered in one manipulation;

Fig. 17 is an inverted view similar to Fig. 16 but with parts of the canbroken away and in section, the device being shown in longitudinalsection, this view illustrating further manipulation of .the invertedcan to refill the delivery blade for the next portion measuringmanipulation of the device; I

Fig. 18 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the device of thepresent invention taken from a point similar to that in which .theembodiment in Fig. l'is viewed; I

Fig. 19 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 18 showing the-devicethereof with the closing cap removed;

Fig. 20 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away and insection, of the structure shown in- Fig. 18;

Fig. 21 is a sectional view, with parts broken away, taken substantiallyon line 21-21 of Fig. 20 showing parts. in plan;

Fig. 22 is an enlarged perspective view of the blade employed in theFigs. 18 to 21 inclusive embodiment;

V Fig. 23 is a top plan view, with parts broken away, of thelever memberof the embodiment shown in Figs. 18 to 21 inclusive;

Fig. .24 is' a side elevational view, with parts broken away, of thelever member shown in Fig. 23, with part thereof sectioned on line24-24;

Fig. 25 is a longitudinal section, with parts broken away, of a modifiedform of the lever member shown in Fig. 24;'and

Fig. 26 is a top plan view, with parts broken away, of the foot portionof a still further modified form of the lever member.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals identify similar partsthroughout, it will be seen, by way of example, that the embodimentsthere illustrated are particularly adapted for use in opening andproviding a closure for a one pound can or tin of ground coffee. Such acan of coffee is illustrated at 2 as being in the conventional form,having. cylindrical sidewall 21 and a circular top 22 with the edge ofthe latter anchored in an air-tight manner to the top edge of thesidewall by :1 rolled rim bead 23. The circular top of such aconventional can 20 is about five inches in diameter and the illustratedembodiments. of the device are made in such dimensions as to be adaptedfor piercing such a top and closing a pierced hole therein. Currently,it is the practice of manufacturers to mount such a beaded can top tothe cylindrical sidewall by a tear strip which when stripped off 'by akey converts the top into a slip-top cover. The device of the presentinvention eliminates the necessity of mounting such a beaded can top tothe cylindrical sidewall by such a tear strip tov convert the top into aslip-top cover, since the device of the present invention is designed topierce a hole through the cover and then while seated therein to providean outlet passage and to serve as a' closure for such passage.

The embodiment of the device, shown at 24 in Figs. 1 to 12 inclusive andFigs. .to 17 inclusive, comprises a lever member 25, a hollow blade 26mounted on the bottom side of the lever, and a pouring superstructure 27mounted on the top side of the lever member. As will be seen from Figs.1, 2 and 3, the lever member 25, preferably is flat and relatively wideor paddle shaped, having at one end 28 a head portion which carries thehollow piercing blade 26 and the pouring superstructure 27 and at theother end a bearing foot structure 29. As best seen in Fig. 1, thebearing foot structure 29 is widened and cut back or concaved on the endedge at 30, pref- I erably along the arc of a circle, so that this endedge is recessed to provide two laterally-spaced feet 31 and 32, eachpreferably having its relatively'short edge surface 33 convexed and laidout along the arc of a circle of a radius substantially equal to theradius of the can top 22, so as to seat inside the can top head 23. Thelever member may be molded from suitable plastic composition which willassure desired rigidity, such as polystyrene. With the device 24 looselyseated or superposed on the can top 22 as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2,the bottom point or tip 34 of the blade 26 contacts the can top 22 atthe point Y, and across on the opposite side of the can top the feet 31and 32 of the bearing foot portion 29 of the lever member 25 contact thecan top to the inside of the head at laterally-spaced bearing points Aand B. The end edge of the lever member foot structure 29 between thebearing points A and B is, as previously indicated, cut back at 30, soas to restrict contact with the can top 22. to the bearing points A andB. The contact of the blade. point 34 a point Y with the can top 22 isspaced appreciably inward radially from the can top head 23, as shown.Theresulting three-point contact of the device 24 at A, B and Y assuresits steady support on the can top 22 in the properly oriented initialposition shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

As will be seen from Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the hollow piercing blade26 preferably is formed of three substantially flat depending wallsmeeting or interconnected at three corner edges so as to besubstantially triangular in cross-section with the outline of suchsection preferably being in the form of an isosceles triangle which maybe of the form of an equilateral triangle. The hollow blade 26 isarranged with one angular edge thereof at 35 providing adownwardly-extending front nose edge. Opposite sidewalls 36 and 136which meet at the nose edge 35 extend obliquely back therefrom to aforeshortened transverse backwall 37 terminating at the points 38, asindicated in Figs. 2, 3 and 5. The backwall 37 is arranged generallyvertical and may be substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of thelever member 25. As will be best seen in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5, the bottomedges 39 and 139 of the sidewalls 36 and 136 extend obliquely downwardfrom the points 38 where the backwall 37 terminates to the blade tip 34,preferably being ogee shaped to facilitate cutting and these edgesconstitute the two cutting edges of the hollow blade 26, being groundoff laterally or parallel to backwall 37 so that they form outer sharpshearing knife edges.

Since after the hollow blade 26 pierces a hole in the can top 22 it isto remain in position in the pierced hole until the contents of the can20 are completely dispensed, features of the present invention assurethat the engagement between the edge of the hole and the blade is to besnug at all points to prevent appreciable passage of granular materialor can contents and gaseous medium, such as air, therebetween, i. e.,the blade is to be received in the pierced hole that it cuts in the cantop in a practically air-tight manner. Consequently, the blade is of acertain novel shape which has been determined in the development of thepresent invention. This may be understood by reference to Figs. 9 to 12inclusive taken in connection with Figs. 3 and 5. As indicated in Fig.9, when the device 24 of Figs. 1 to 12 inclusive embodiment of thepresent invention is loosely seated or superposed on the can top 22, theperson using it moves it laterally until the feet 31 and 32 respectivelycontact the can top 22 at points A and B radially inward of head 23, andthe tip- 34 of the blade 26 contacts the can top at the point Y radiallyinward an appreciable distance from the head on thediametrically-opposite side of the can top. Contact of the foot portion29 of the lever member 25 at laterally-spaced points A and B isimportant to prevent the device 24 from tipping over to one side or theother when it is rested upon the can top 22, and to guide travel of thehollow blade 26 in its downward travel through the can top in theorientation of its initial placement on the can top so that the bladedoes not wobble and enlarge the hole as the blade is thrust down throughthe can top. Thus the lever member 25 is swung about a transverse axisA--B. The necessity for keeping the pierced hole in the can top of adimension so that, when the hollow blade 26 is forced down or thrusthome to its final seated position the edges of the hole are snuglyengaged at all points by the outer faces of the blade to assurepractically air-tight seating therein, dictates a particular shaping ofthe forward side profile or nose edge 35 of the blade and of itssidewalls 36 and 136.

The point X where the pivot axis AB of lever member 25 intersects thelongitudinal axis of the latter would be the pivot point thereof if ithad a single point of contact on its longitudinal axis with the can top.The distance between point X and the initial point of contact at Y ofblade tip 34 dictates the contour of at least an appreciable lowerportion of the front nose edge 35, which may be termed the nib. Afterthe pierced hole has been completely formed during an appreciable firstpart of the downward thrust of the hollow blade 26 the latter may thenmove downward a further distance while maintaining snug contact with theedges of the-hole at all points and this is assured by making theforeshortened backwall 37 normal to the bottom face 40 of the levermember 25. If that portion of the forward side profile or nose edge 35at its root which is at least equal to the height of the foreshortenedbackwall 37 is made substantially parallel to the outer or back face ofthe latter, such snug contact will be maintained as the blade is thrusthome through this distance to abutment of the can top by the levermember, the pierced hole 41 being fully formed when the blade reachesthis position just as the bottom edge of the backwall is entering thepierced hole.

Thus, as'indicated in Fig. 10, the forward side profile or nose edge 35of blade 26 from its root through a distance which is substantially.equal to the depth C of the foreshortened backwall 37, is likewisenormal to the bottom face 40 of the lever member 25 downward to thepoint D. From the point D to the tip 34 at Y, however, the forward sideprofile or nose edge 35 of the nib must be curved back and ideally it islaid out along the arc of a circle having a radius XY with X as thecenter, thereby making the blade beak-like or parrot-nosed in shape.Actually, as will be seen from Fig. 10, the point D on the forward sideprofile or nose edge 35 is a distance C down from the lever bottom face40 which is slightly greater than the depth C of the backwall 37 asdetermined by the point where radius X -Y (equal to the radius X-Y)through the bottom edge of the backwall at 38 intersects the'linedefining the front side profile or nose front edge.

In any selected transverse radial plane through the curved tip portionof nose edge 35 and axis A-B, or point X, the angle between the outerfaces of the sidewalls 36 and 136 should be, substantially equal to theangle therebetween at the root of the blade. For example, in the radialplane of radius X -Y the angle between elements of the outer faces ofsidewalls 36 and '136 in that plane is substantially equal to the anglebetween such elements in the radial plane of radius LX1,7 Y1,!

This assures that as the lever member 25 is swung downward about thetransverse axis AB the blade tip 34 will first pierce through the cantop 22 at point Y and then the sharp shearing edges 39 and 139 will cutback, gradually enlarging the hole while the blade is being swung downuntil point D thereon is lowered to the can top, so that the hole 41 isof a size and shape just snugly to receive the root of the blade.Thereafter, the root of the hollow blade 26 moves substantially straightdown to seat its root section into this formed hole 41, with snugengagement of the edges of the hole at all points, as will be seen fromFig. 5. If the forward side profile or nose edge 35 of the hollow blade26 was laid out on a straight line throughout its extent to thetip 34including the nib, and substantially normal to the bottom face 40 of thelever member 25, such blade would tear back in the can top-22 in beingswung down by the lever member so that at the root of the blade thefront nose edge would be spaced appreciably from the front corner of thehole, thereby permitting free passage of gaseous medium or air, as wasfound in the development of the present invention. However, by layingout the forward side profile or nose edge 35 of the nib between thepoints D and Y on the arc of a circle having a radius X"--Y, this curvedportion of the nib will be snugged into the front corner can top 22. Aspreviously indicated, in the last portion of the travel of the hollowblade 26 downward from this position of alignment of point D with thecan top 22 to the final seated position indicated in Figs. 11 and 12,the forward line element of the front nose edge, of the hollow blade 26moves through the distance C and its backwall 37 moves through thedistance C without further enlargement of the pierced hole and withmaintenance of snug contact with the edges of the latter at all points.The foot elements 31 and 32 might lift slightly from the can top 22during this last small portion of the travel of blade 26 down into thepierced hole 41, as'may be dictated by guidance of the blade by theedges of the formed hole, but in any event no substantial or harmfuldistortion of the hole edges due to this last portion of blade travel isexperienced in practice.

As illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5, the piercing of the triangular hole 41in the can top 22 cuts or shears back a triangular portion or lip 42from the can top. Since the bottom edges 39 and 139 of the blade, thesharpened outer margins of which constitute the cutting edges, haveappreciable transverse width due to the thickness of the stock fromwhich the blade 26 is made, the transverselyextending faces of theseedges apply back pressureto the top of the lip 42 as it is formed in theshearing action so as gradually to curl it downward and backward. Whenthe shearing action is completed at the rear points 38 of the shearingedges so that the bottom edge of the foreshortened backwall 37 beginsentering the so-formed triangular hole 41, the rear edges of the bladeside walls 36 and 136 bend the sheared lip 42 sharply down to extendsubstantially at right angles to the the'general plane of the can top22, and this final sharp bending may ,in part be performed bycooperative action of the rear face of the backwall 37 as it enters thehole. Since the can top is made of tinned dead steel or black ironsheet, it has appreciable resiliency and the triangular portionor lip42- will constitute a spring member which automatically snugs the frontnose edge 35 of the hollow blade 26 into the front corner or notch 43 ofthe pierced hole 41' by hearing against the back face of theforeshortened backwall 37, thereby maintaining snug contact along theedges of the hole with the outer faces of the blade and securely holdingthe latter in the hole so that the device 24 remains in position on thecan top 22 even when the can is inverted. This is important since theremust be no tendency for the device 24 to fall away from the can top 22when the can is inverted in contents-pouring action, but such secureholding of the device does not prevent it from being forcibly pulledaway from the can top rather easily, such asv by a rocking action fromside to side, when the can contents have been completely dispensed, topermit transfer of the device to another full can. Such pierced hole 41and the triangular spring lip 42 are best seen in Figs. 7 and 8 in whichit is clearly indicated that the spring lip in its formation has atransversely-extending crown 44 that springs forward toward the frontnotch 43 of the pierced hole when hollow blade 26 is removed from thepierced hole, as has been observed in use of the device. It is thiscrown 44 of spring lip 42 which bears against the back faces of the rearedges of the blade sidewalls 36 and 136 and the rear face offoreshortened backwall 37 and keeps the front-nose edge 35 snugged intothe front notch 43 of pierced hole 42. It must be understood, however,that such snugging action does not leave any appreciable gaps betweenthe rear shearing edges 39 and 139 of the hollow blade 26 and the tworear notches 45, 45 of the pierced hole 41, since the width of eachsidewall 36 and 136 at its root in the plane of section on line- 44 ofFig. 3 is substanial y equ l t the id h hereof at p i s 8 38 Where thefree edge of baelgwall 37 terminates (see Figs. 4 and This spring actionof triangular lip 42 is chiefly of advantage in firmly holding thehollow blade 26 frietionally in the pierced hole 41 to secure the device24 to the can top 22 until the can contents have been entirely dispensedthrough the hollow blade 26.

Since the front nose edge 35 of the hollow blade 26 at its root frompoint D and through the distance C is straight and normal to the bottomface 40 of the lever member 25, as is backwall 37 to points 38, 38, thethrust home of the blade from point D causes the device to creep forwardthrough distance Z, as indicated in Figs. 11 and 12. Thus, since thelever arm 25 is free to move longitudinally forward, not being fixed tothe can in any way, such as it would be if it were hooked over the rimbead 23, the device automatically finds its proper final seatedposition, as dictated by travel of the hollow blade 26 into the piercedhole 41, without tendency for the latter to be torn larger to destroythe substantially sift-proof and air-tight seal of the blade walls tothe hole edges. This forward creeping movement of the device 24, in soseating it home to the final seated position of Figs. 4, 11 and 12,dictates certain dimensions of the head portion 27,. particularly theextent of overhang of the lever member front end 28 with respect to thefront nose edge at the root of blade 26, so that this lever front endwill not be jammed up against the rim bead 23 to tear back farther theback edge of the pierced hole 41 and push the faces of the blade sidewalls 36' and 136 and front nose edge 35 away from the opposed holeedges. Such freedom of contact of the device 24 with respect to the rimhead 23 in the final movement of being. thrust home allows the device tofind its final seated position on. the can top 22 with assurance thatthe edges of the pierced hole 41 will snugly engage the walls of hollowblade 26 at all points for a substantially sift-proof and air-tightseal.

The piercing blade 26 is mounted in any suitable manner to the levermember 25. For example, as will be seen from Figs. 3 and 6, the piercingblade 26 is provided with a lateral base plate or flange member 46 whichmay be made integral with the root thereof, and, preferably, the bottomface of the lever member 25 is recessed at 47 to receive such bladeplate member with any suitable means, such as screws 48-48, beingemployed .to fasten these parts together. It will be understood,however, that within the scope of the present invention .other suitablemeans may be used for this purpose; for example, if the lever member 49is made from metal rather than molded plastic brazing, soldering or thelike may be used for this purpose as may be dictated or permitted by thecharacter of the metal, and it is possible to make the blade member andthe lever member integral. In any event the blade member 26 must betough and strong so as to be sharpened along its shearing edges 39 and139, to retain such sharpness and to assure the strength necessary toperform the piercing operation, thus preferably being made of temperedsteel in the illustrated embodiments.

As previously indicated, the lever member 25 is provided with asuperstructure 27 which, preferably, is in the form of anupwardly-extending integral land 49 that may be circular in transversesection. The head end of the lever member 25 to which the piercing blade26 is mounted and its integral circular land 49 are provided with anupwardly-extending through hole 50 which is substantially aligned withthe interior space 51 of the hollow blade, together to form an outletpassage, as will be seen from Figs. 2, and 15 to 17 inclusive. he inletopening of this outlet passage is located behind the blade tip 34 andbelow the bottom edge of the backwall 37, being defined .at oppositesides by the shearing edge 39 a al-Wand thi .heqkwal b o edge The outlet,of this passagejsprovided bythe topend of the of suitable material,such as elastic plastic composition,

e. g., polyethylene. Cylindrical cap 52 preferably has a circumferentialinside rib 53 mounted on the cylindrical inner face of its side wall andsnapped into an annular groove 54 in the cylindrical outer surface ofthe circular land 49, so as to be rotatable on the latter. If

' desired, the plastic cap 52 may be provided on one side with a fingertab 55 for manual engagement to facilitate its manual rotation betweenopen and closed positions. The closure means, in the form of the plasticcap 52, is provided in the circular top thereof with an outlet hole 56.This outlet hole is offset laterally from the axis of the cap,preferably at a distance substantially equal to the distance of theoffsetting of the hole 50 laterally from the axis of the land 49, sothat in one radial position of the cap these holes will be substantiallyaligned to open up the outlet or discharge passage, as illustrated inFig. 15. In another radial position of the rotary cap 52'the hole 50 inthe land 49 will be covered by an unperforated cap top portion, with aportion of the top of the land 49 blocking the cap hole 56 i asillustrated in Figs. 1, 3, 16 and 17.

Although, as previously explained, the theoretically ideal shape of thepiercing blade 26 is similar to that illustrated in Figs. 10 and 12,such features are not critical to such degree as to prevent practicalemployment of slight variations therefrom. For example, the piercingblade 126 of the device 124 illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14 has beenfound to be operable to pierce the triangular hole in the top of acoffee tin and thereafter to remain snugly in position in the holeeffectively to close the latter' and protect the ground coifee contentswhile being retained therein with sufiicient frictional force to permitpouring inversion of the can without tendency for the device to fallaway therefrom. As will be seen from Figs. 13 and 14 the lever member125, indicated in Fig. 13 in dotted lines, may be of a structure similarto that proposed at 25 in the other figures (the outline of thesuperstructure having been omitted), and piercing blade 126 may bemounted thereto in like or other suitable fashion. The forward sideprofile or nose edge 135 of the blade 126 curves from its tip 134 upwardto a point D which is preferably below the point at which a radius fromswing axis AB or point X extending through the bottom edge of thebackwall 37 intersects the nose edge a distance C which is appreciablygreater than the distance C of Fig. 10. As a consequence the lateraldistance Z between the vertical portion at the blade root of the noseedge 135 and a continuation of the arc of the circle having a radius X Yalong which is laid out the curved bottom portion of the nose edge, i.e., the forward line element of the side profile of the nib, isappreciably greater than this distance Z in the Fig. 10 embodiment. Thisincreased distance Z represents the distance through which the levermember travels or creeps longitudinally in piercing the triangular holein the can top with the piercing-blade 126. It has been found inpractice that the blade 126 will form a triangular hole in the can topinto which the blade root will be snugly engaged and with the outersurfaces of the blade juxtaposed sufliciently close to the edges of thehole at all points as to assure a sift-proof and sufiiciently air-tightclosure for all practical purposes. The sidewalls 236 and 336 of thepiercing blade 126 have their outer faces shaped in the manner explainedin connection with Fig. 10, so as to assure that in the progressiveformation of thetriangular hole the edges of the front corner thereofwill be arranged substantially at the angle of the outer faces of theseside walls at the root of the blade, thus to assure that when the bladeis thrust home these hole edges will be disposed very closely adjacentto or substantially in contact with these sidewall faces.

It will now be understood that the theoretical ideal shapes of the noseand sidewalls of the blades are those which define the forward lineelement of the side profile of the nib, such as the front nose edge(such as 35 or 135) by a circular arc struck about the swing axis A--Bor the point X all the way up to the blade root or the bottom face 40 ofthe lever member and lay out the back wall 37 on a similar circular arcstruck about the same axis or point. However, such an ideally shapedblade structure may be more demanding for practical manufacturingprocedures in mass production than a manufacturer may wish. The proposalof Fig. so closely approaches such ideal characteristics as to assureproper attainment of the desired ends and a structure which may be morereadily adapted to manufacturing procedures, and even the furthervariation of Fig. 13 has been found to be suitable for practicalpurposes.

In use and operation of the embodiment of the can piercing and deliverydevice 24 illustrated in Figs. 1 to 12 inclusive it is loosely seatedupon the can top 22 in the manner indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 with thelever member 25 arranged obliquely with respect thereto. The levermember 25 is slid longitudinally until its feet 31 and 32 contact thecan top 22 at points A and B adjacent the inner side of the rim bead 23,with the blade tip 34 contacting the can top at the point Y across onthe opposite side of the top. A sharp blow on the superstructure 27 orapplication thereon of downward pressure by the heel of a persons hand,as indicated by the arrow 57 in Fig. 1, will cause the blade tip 34 topierce through the can top 22 and then the shearing edges 39 and 139 ofthe blade sidewalls 36 and 136 to shear back through the can topprogressively as the blade is lowered to form the triangular hole 41 andprogressively curl down and backward spring lip 42. As a result, thebottom face 40 of the lever member is pushed down to juxta-position orsubstantial abutment of the can top 22, with the root of the piercingblade 26 received in and through the triangular hole 41 in the can top,as indicated in Fig. 3. Thereafter, if the closure cap 52 be manipulatedto uncover the outlet hole 50, such as by being turned manuallysubstantially to align its hole 56 with the hole 50 in the lever member,as is indicated in Fig. 15, inversion of the can 26 will cause a portionof the can contents 58, such as ground coffee, to spill out through theopen outlet passage as indicated at 59 in Fig. 15. Of course the cap 52may be removed by snapping it off to permit this delivery action. Aftera desired quantity of the can contents 58.has been withdrawn in thismanner, the can 20 may then be turned back to its upright position andthe closure cap 52, if it has been kept on the land 49, may be rotatedback to the closed position of Figs. 1 and 3 securely to close theopened can in a sift-proof and practically air-tight manner, withretention of the device 24 thereon to serve as delivery means forsubsequent withdrawal in like manner of additional portions of the cancontents. As the quantity of the can contents 58 becomes depleted onemay assure ready removal thereof through this dispensing device 24 bytilting the inverted can 20 further in the direction of the arrow 60indicated in Fig. 15, and in this manner the can contents may bedelivered portionby-portion until practically all of the can contentshave been removed through the delivery device. Those wishing to practicea high degree of frugality may then pull or rock the piercing anddelivery device 24 from off of the can top 22 with withdrawal of thepiercing blade 26 from the severed hole 41 and shake out through thelatter such small amount of the can contents as may 10' remain therein.In any event, removal of the piercing and delivery device 24 from theemptied can 20 permits the subsequent use of the former in like mannerfor the opening of another full can and delivery of the contents of thelatter therefrom through the device in the same way. 1

Although the paddle-shaped lever member 25 shown in the drawings is ofpreferred formation, it is to be understood that the scope of thepresent invention is not limited thereto since, for example, the sidesof the lever member need not be cut back as far as indicated. In factthe lever member might 'be substantially in the form of a disc having asuitable edge notch, such as that proposed at 30, to define thelaterally-spaced contact points at A and B. In fact, the lever member ofthe device of the present invention may be an openwork structure and thefoot elements thereof may be provided as localized lands or nibs or evenas the terminal ends of fork-tine elements. For example, the levermember may be formed as a suitable head structure having a pair ofdiverging rods extending from one side thereof along the dot-dash linesof Figs. 9 and 10 to the contact points A and B. Also the lever membermay be adjustable in length for varying the distance between the footelements and the blade to a limited degree as a practical matter, asindicated hereinafter.

Embodiments of the present invention may be employed as means to measurethe quantity of successive portions of the can contents dischargedtherefrom. As indicated in Fig. 16 if, after mounting the device 24 onthe can top 22, the can 20' is inverted and then tilted back in thedirection of the arrow 61, the can contents 58 will fall away from theinlet opening of the hollow blade 26, as indicated by the dotted linearrow therein, so as finally to separate at the sides of the spring lip42 and beyond the free edge of the backwall 37 the main body of the cancontents from the amount 62 trapped within the hollow blade of theoutlet hole 56. If, with the can 20 and device 24 then held in thepositions of Fig. 16, the closure cap 52 be rotated to align its outlethole 56 with the discharge passage hole 50 the quantity 62 of the cancontents trapped in the device will be spilled out as a measured portiondetermined by the capacity of the outlet passage. Then, if the closurecap 52 be rotated back to the closed position, as indicated in Fig. 17,and the inverted can so be tilted back in the direction of the arrow 63,a quantity of the can contents 58 will tend to flow forward in thedirection of the arrow 64 past the sides of the spring lip 42 to betweenthe blade shearing edges 39 and 139 and into the interior of the hollowblade, again to collect in the discharge passage a similar quantity ofthe can contents to be discharged therefrom in the manner indicated inFig. 16.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the cutting and dischargestructure of the, device is a beak-like hollow blade having an inwardlycurved or convexcd nib in side profile chiefly defined bylaterally-spaced sidewalls meeting in the line element which defines theforward side profile thereof and gradually diverging laterally back awayfrom this forward side profile line element. The bottom or lower edgesof the sidewalls are sharp to serve as cutting or shearing edgesextending rearward from the tip of the nib to the rear of the bladestructure, preferably obliquely upward to terminal points of the cuttingedges, with appreciably shorter generally vertical rear edge portionsprovided with substantially aligned trans verse faces which serve animportant function with regard to the shaping and contact of the cut outcan top lip. At the root of the blade these sidewalls and rear contactface portions extend substantially normal from the bottom side of thelever member. Preferably the sidewalls are symmetrical in shape anddiverge at substantially equal angles from a medial lateral axisextending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the lever member,and the action of the faces of the rear edge portions of the sidewallsin shaping down and maintaining contact with the ,can top cut out lipmay be supplemented to advantage by a foreshortened depending orgenerally vertically-extending backwall substantially normal to thisaxis with its rear face substantially aligned with the rear faces of thesidewall rear edge portions and juxtaposed to the latter at the sides.Such backwall assures there will be no appreciable direct communicationbetween the atmosphere and the blade interior at the back corners of thesheared hole as might occur when excessively heavy gauge stock isemployed for the can top causing the lip to bend down at its root in ashort curve with slight tearback rather than sharply in a right angledshoulder at the ends of the sheared cuts without any tear-back. Thesecharacteristics may be embodied in blades in which the sidewalls,instead of being substantially fiat in their portions other than thosedefining the inwardly curved nib, are curved in lateral planes. As isillustrated in Figs. 18 to inclusive the opposed sidewalls may bearcuately shaped in a lateral direction and may, if desired, be arrangedalong arcs of a common circle so that, for example, the major portion ofthe blade which is defined by the sidewalls, except for the convexed nibthereof, may appear to be a section of a tube. The hole formed in thecan top by such a blade may be considered to be archshaped or D-shapedrather than triangular in shape but the same snug fit between the edgesof the hole and the outside faces of the blade obtain and such structureis equivalent in purpose and action to the triangular blades illustratedin Figs. 1 to 17 inclusive.

It will be seen from Figs. 18 to 24 inclusive that the embodiment of thedevice identified generally by numeral 224 comprises a lever member 225carrying hollow blade structure 226 and a capped superstructure 227. Itis indicated in Fig. 19 that the lever member 225 is similar to thatshown at 25 in Figs. 1 to 12 inclusive having a foot structure 29provided with laterally-spaced foot elements 31 and 32 which provide thespaced contact points A and B. The head end 22% thereof carries thecapped superstructure 227 which, as will best be seen from Fig. 20, mayconsist of an apertured land 65, an interfitting piece 66 carrying thecircular capping land 249 and a closure means in the form of an invertedmeasuring cup 252. The lever member 225 and the head piece 66 may, ifdesired, be molded from substantially rigid plastic, such aspolystyrene, but can, if desired, be formed from relatively more elasticplastic material, such as polyethylene. Even though the lever member andits head piece be formed of relatively elastic plastic and especiallywhen. the lever member and this head piece are formed from relativelyrigid plastic, the measuring cup 252 may, to advantage, be formed fromrelatively elastic plastic, such as polyethylene, in order to secure asealing fit of its mouth about the land 249.

As will be seen from Figs. 23 and 24, the land of the lever member 225is provided with a D-shaped hole 66% having a substantially flat backface 67 extending substantially normal to the underside 249 of the levermember and with this hole cut back or rabbeted on the upper side toprovide a flanking C-shaped lateral shoulder 68 and a transverseshoulder 69 flanking the back face 67. The curved front portion and thetwo laterally spaced side portions of the shoulder 68 are provided forsupport of a flange on the top end of the blade. Atransversely-extending, generally vertical or depending flange 237 maybe molded integral with the lever member 225 to serve as theforeshortened backwall of the blade structure, as will be more fullyexplained hereinafter.

As will be seen from Figs. 20 and 22, the major portion of the bladestructure 226 is provided in the semi-circular form previously proposedwith the laterally-spaced sidewalls 436 and 536 provided as integralportions meeting at the line element which defines the forward sideprofile 235 and the top edge of this unitary blade element carries alaterallymxtending flange 75). The blade element 226 may be readilyshaped and pressed from relatively thin sheet metal stock, such assteel, which will be suitably tempered to retain its cutting edge andsuch stock, for example, may be about of an inch thick. As will be seenfrom Figs. 20 and 22, the bottom edges 439 and 539 of the sidewalls 436and 536 extend obliquely upward back to rear terminal points 238, 233which determine the limits of the shearing edges provided by the sharpouter margins of the bottom edges of the sidewalls. Preferably the lowerpointed or nib portion 71 has its bottom edges ground oft angularly onthe inner sides thereof so as to assure sharpness of the outer marginaledges of the tip 234 and the bottom edges 439 and 539 from the nib backto the terminal points 238, 238 may be ground 01f transversely, whichwill provide suitable sharp outer marginal edges flanked inwardlythereof by narrow flat edge faces which will bear against the can toplip as it is being cut out and gradually turn it down. The unitary bladestructure 226 terminates in substantially vertical rear edges 72, 72which extend upwardly from the cutting terminal corners or points 238,238 to the lateral flange 70.

As previously explained, the ideal side profile shape of the bladestructure is arranged along the arcs of circles struck about the swingaxis and when the blade structure is formed of relatively thin stock ina shaping press it may not be too difiicult to curve the front or noseof the blade along the arc of such a circle all the way up to the rootat the underside 249 of the lever member 225. As will 'be seen from Fig.20, the swing axis there is identified as B, X and A and the radius ofcurvature of the nose 235 of the blade is x-y. This curvature is carriedup above the point D" all the way to the root of the blade rather thanbeing terminated at that point which lies in a plane extending throughthe swing axis and, the terminal rear points 238, 238 of the cuttingedges. Also, as previously explained, the ideal shape of thesubstantially vertical rear edges 72, 72 of the blade sidewalls 436 and536 is determined by the arc of a circle struck about the swing axishaving a radius 238X and such curvature is shown in exaggerated form inFig. 22 for clarity.

As indicated in Fig. 20, the hollow blade 226 is mounted to the levermember 225 by dropping it down, point first, through the hole 660 untilits lateral flange seats upon the front curved and side portions of theshoulder 68 in the lever member land 65. In so seating the rear edges72, 72 slide down through notches 73, 73 seen in Fig. 23 which fiank theends of the transverse shoulder 69 and are aligned with the rear face 74of the depending backwall 237 which is similarly curved. When blade 226is shaped from relatively thin tempered steel stock, its sidewalls 436and 536 have appreciable spring and the transverse distance between thenotches 73, 73 and the width of the backwall 237 may be slightly greaterthan the distance between the inside faces of the blade sidewalls at therear edges 72, 72 so that the sidewalls will there be sprung slightlyfarther apart in being slid down through the notches along the sideedges of the backwall, so as to form thereat snug contact preventingappreciable sifting or leakage through such joints of granular or liquidcontents of a can.

After the blade 226 is inserted in the lever member 225 in such fashionthe land piece 66 is mounted there above with a depending D-shapedportion 75 thereof surrounding the outlet hole 259 seated down in therabbeted top portion of the D-shaped hole 666- in the lever member 225to rest upon the blade flange 7t) and the transverse shoulder 69. Thedepending portion 75 of the land piece 66 may be cemented in suchposition securely to hold the blade 226 in the mounted position, shownin Fig. 20. Thus the interior space 251 in the blade 226 is communicatedwith the outlet hole 250 and the latter may then be closed off bytelescoping the open mouth of the cup 252 down over the circular land249.

The useof the embodiment of the device illustrated in Figs. 1 8 to 24inclusive will be similar to that described above in connection with theembodiments of Figs. 1 to 17 inclusive, such as in the mannerillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, and the contents of the can may be removedby slipping the measuring cup 252 off of the circular land 249. Some ofthe contents of the inverted can, as illustrated in Fig. 15, may bedispensed through the outlet hole 250 into the removed cup 252, whichwill serve as a measure and the capacity of the latter may be such as isconventionally accepted to 'be the right quantity of coffee formaking'one cup of coffee if the can contents is granular coffee. Whenthe embodiment of the device illustrated in Figs. 18 to 24 inclusive isrested upon the can top'22, as in the manner proposed in Figs. 1 and 2,the hollow blade 226 may be caused to pierce an archshaped or D-shapedhole in the can top by striking firmly with the heel of the hand eitherupon the top of the land 66, if the cap'252 be removed, or upon thebottom 76 of the cap, if the latter be in mounted position, and it hasbeen found that even though the cap be formed of relatively elasticplastic, such as polyethylene, its cylindrical sidewall 77 hassufiicient rigidity to apply more than enough force to the blade readilyto pierce the can top without collapse of the cap.

It has further been found that with an embodiment of the device of thetype illustrated in Figs. 18 to 24 inclusive that if the backwall 237,which is there shown as being a depending flange extending substantiallynormal from the underside 240 of the lever member 225, is omitted, thecut out can top lip, such as that illustrated at 42 in Fig. 3, will beprogressively turned down inward into the can by the oblique,transversely-extendingbottom faces of the cutting edges 439 and 539 andthat when the sheared cuts are fully formed by the cutting edges as theyshear through the can top to the terminal rear points 238,238, the cantop lip will then be turned down sharply substantially at'right anglesas the curved faces of the rear .edges 72, 72 enter the back end of thehole and slide down along the front face of the can top lip. For thisreason, in certain embodiments, the backwall 237 or any equivalentbackwall structure, such as a' blade wall similar to 37 of the Figs. 1to 17 inclusive embodiment, may be omitted while attaining the properpiercing of the can top and. the snug seating of the piercing blade inthe pierced hole therein, as is suggested in Fig. 25 by lever member 325which is similar to lever member 225 except for the omission of thedepending backwall, with the foreshortened inner face of shoulder 69being indicated at 167. Since practical embodiments of the device mayvary somewhat from the theoretically ideal shape of the blade structure,as previouslyindicated, it may be desirable to use such a dependingbackwall either as a wall of the blade structure or as a flange on thelever member so as to assure that there will be no gaps at the backcorners of the pierced hole, such as are indicated at 45, 45 in Figs. 5,7 and 8, to permit escape exterior of the blade of can contents. In anyevent, blades of embodiments of the present invention will be definedchiefly by blade sidewalls which meet in a forward nose provided with anib of the type proposed in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, or Figs. 13 and 14,or Figs. 18 to 22 inclusive. When a generally vertically-extending bladebackwall is employed it may be set in between the rear edges of theblade sidewalls with its rear face substantially aligned with thefacesof the rear edges of the sidewalls or it may be lapped against therear edges of the sidewalls so that its 'marginalside edges serve as thesidewall rear edge portions with its intermediate major portion servingas the backwall element which has its rear face substantially alignedwith the rear faces of these marginal portions which serve as thesidewall rear edge portions.

After such a piercing and delivery device has been mounted upon a cantop in the described manner with its blade structure snugly seated in apierced hole in the can top, it may be most easily removed from the canafter the latter is emptied through the outlet hole in the device byrocking the lever member back and forth laterally, such as in thedirection of the double ended arrow 78 shown in Fig. 18. In order tofacilitate side finger engagement of the lever member for this purpose,opposite sides of the head thereof may be provided with undercut notches79 to facilitate secure finger engagement of the lever member when thelatter is snugly seated upon the can top.

As previously indicated, the lever member of the device may be of astructure permitting limited change in the effective length thereof toadapt the device to cans having tops of somewhat different diameters.For this purpose, as is illustrated by way of example in Fig. 26, thelever member may be in the form of a bar or rod 425 slidably carryingthereon a yoke or collar 80 provided with the flared foot structure inthe form of angularly extending legs 431 and 432, corners of whichprovide the bearing points A and B. The collar 80 may carry aclampingthumb screw 81 to fix it in a selected position along the leverbar 425 and, if desired, the top of the latter may be flatted off asindicated at 82 to prevent relative rotation of the collar thereon andto form a secure clamping surface for the inner end of the thumb screw81.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those madeapparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and,since certain changes may be made in the above construction withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be saidto fall therebetween.

This application is a'continuation-in-part of my copending applicationSerial Number 602,657, noW abandoned.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. A can piercing and delivery device for a tin can and the like havinga lateral top of certain width circumscribed by an upstanding rim beadand comprising, in combination; a lever member to be loosely seated uponsuch a can top and having at one end thereof a relatively wide bearingfoot structure having at least a pair of transversely-spaced areas forcontact of the can top at relatively widely spaced points adjacent theinner side of such rim head; a depending, hollow, beak-like piercingblade carried by the other end of said lever member and having aconvexed nib in side profile which terminates in a lower, sharp,hole-starting tip for contact of the can top radially inward at anappreciable distance from the rim bead across from the points of footcontact with said lever member resting obliquely upon said can top, saidblade being chiefly defined by laterally-spaced sidewalls whichgradually diverge laterally back away from the line element whichdefines the forward side profile thereof with the bottom edges of saidsidewalls being sharp to serve as shearing edges and having appreciably'shorter generally vertical rear edge portions provided withsubstantially aligned transverse faces with said sidewalls and thetransverse faces of said rear edge portions extending substantiallynormal from the underside of said lever member at the root of the bladeto form in the can top a hole when said lever member is swung downwardto abutment of said can top about an axisthrough the laterally-spacedpoints of foot contact with the edges of the pierced hole snuglycontacting the exterior of the root of said blade at substantially alllateral points adjacent the underside of said lever member forfrictional retention of said blade in the pierced hole, the lateralprofile of the projection of said bottom shearing edges in the can topplane which includes the blade tip and lever member contact areas beingof substantially the same shape and size as the lateral cross-section ofthe blade at its root, the interior of said hollow blade providing aportion of an outlet passage with said lever member having an outlethole extending upwardly therethrough and communicating with the interiorof said blade to form another portion of the outlet passage; andmanually manipulatable closure means carried by said lever member toopen and close the outlet passage at will.

2. The can piercing and delivery device as defined in claim 1characterized by said lever member being a substantially flatpaddle-shaped structure with the end edge at its wider portion beingcentrally recessed to provide said laterally-spaced contact areas aslongitudinal projections each having a corner providing the pointcontact with the can top.

3. The can piercing and delivery device as defined in claim 1characterized by said lever member having a raised circular land on itstop side above said blade with the hole in said lever member extendingthrough said land offset laterally of the axis of the latter, saidclosure means comprising manually-rotatable disc means rotatably mountedon said land and having a hole extending through the top thereof offsetlaterally of the disc means axis for alignment with the lever memberhole in one radial position of said disc means, a portion of said discmeans covering and securely closing said lever member hole in anotherradial position of said disc means.

4. A can piercing and delivery device for a tin can and the like havinga lateral top of certain width cir cumscribed by an upstanding rim beadand comprising, in combination; a lever member to be loosely seated uponsuch a can top and having at one end thereof a relatively wide bearingfoot structure having at least a pair of transversely-spaced areas forcontact of the can top at relatively widely spaced points adjacent theinner side of such rim bead; 21 depending, hollow, beak-like piercingblade carried by the other end of said lever member and having aconvexed nib in side profile which terminates in a lower, sharp,hole-starting tip for contact of the can top radially inward at anappreciable distance from the rim bead across from the points of footcontact with said lever member resting obliquely upon said can top, saidblade being chiefly defined by laterallyspaced curved sidewalls whichgradually diverge laterally back away from the line element whichdefines the forward side profile thereof with the bottom edges of saidsidewalls being sharp for can top shearing and extending back obliquelyupward to substantially shorter generally vertical rear blade edgeportions provided with substantially aligned transverse faces with saidsidewalls and the transverse faces of said rear edge portions extendingsubstantially normal from the underside of said lever member at the rootof the blade to form in the can top a hole of the shape and size of thecross-section of said blade at its root, said blade in forming such holebeing adapte to cut a lip in the can top and to turn this lip downwardand backward when said lever mer ber is swung downward to abutment ofsaid can top about an axis through the laterally-spaced points of footcontact whereby edges of the pierced hole have snug contact adjacent theunderside of said lever member with the blade root and the turned downcan top lip pressing forward on the rear of the blade for frictionalretention of said blade in the pierced hole with effective closure ofthe latter, the interior of said hollow blade providing a portion of anoutlet passage which in said blade forward of said can top lip isgenerally D-shaped in cross-section, said lever member having an outlethole extending upwardly therethrough and communicating with the interiorof said' blade as another portion '16 of the outlet passage; andmanually manipulatable closure means carried by said lever member toopen and close the outlet passage at will.

5. The can piercing and delivery device as defined in claim 4characterized by said blade sidewalls being merged with each other atthe line element which defines the forward side profile thereofproviding a generally semi-circular sidewall structure above saidconvexed nib with the convex curvature of the latter substantially lyingalong the arc of a circle described about the transverse swing axis ofsaid lever member, and the provision of a generally vertically-extendingblade backwall having a rear face substantially aligned with the rearfaces of said sidewall rear edge portions and juxtaposed to the latterat the sides to enclose the interior of said blade on all verticalsides, the top of said backwall being juxtaposed to the underside ofsaid lever member.

6. A can piercing and delivery device for a tin can and the like havinga lateral top of certain width surrounded by an upstanding rim bead andcomprising, in combination; an elongated lever member to be looselyseated upon such a can top and having at one end thereof a relativelywide bearing foot structure providing a pair of foot elements for pointcontact of the can top at relatively widely spaced points adjacent theinner side of such rim bead; a depending, hollow, parrot-nosed piercingblade mounted to the underside of the other end of said lever member andhaving a lower, sharp, hole-starting tip, the root of said blade beingof a shape in cross section of that of an isosceles triangle and havingthree angularly-disposed, downwardly-extending, interconnected wallswith two of the latter constituting a pair of backwardly-divergingsidewalls meeting in a downwardly-extending inwardly curved nose edgeterminating in said tip and with the third sidewall thereof constitutinga foreshortened backwall having a transverse bottom edge and arrangedsubstantially normal to the longitudinal axis of said lever member, saidtwo-side walls having back lower edges forming sharp shearing edgesextending obliquely upward and back divergingly from said lower tip tosaid backwall transverse bottom edge, an appreciable lower portion ofthe nose edge of said blade being curved upwardly and forward toward theblade root substantially along the arc of a circle described about atransverse swing axis extending through the laterally-spaced footcontact points, the interior of said hollow blade providing a portion ofan outlet passage having its inlet opening behind said tip and below thetransverse edge of said backwall; said lever member being of a length tolocate said blade tip on said can top at a point spaced such appreciabledistance radially inward from the rim bead when said lever member isrested obliquely upon the can top with the foot contact points thereoflocated adjacent the inner side of the rim bead across the opposite sideof the can top as will prevent jamming of the front end of said levermember in the vicinity of said blade against the inner side of the rimbead when said lever member is swung down about said swing axis topierce said blade through the can top, said lever member having anoutlet hole extending upwardly therethrough and communicating with theinterior of said hollow blade to form another portion of the outletpassage; and manually manipulatable closure means mounted on the topside of said lever member to open and close the outlet passage at will.

7. A can piercing and delivery device for a cylindrical tin can and thelike having a lateral circular top of certain diameter circumscribed byan upstanding rim bead and comprising, in combination; an elongated,substnatially fiat lever member to be loosely seated upon such a can topand having at one end thereof a relatively wide bearing foot portionwith the end edge of the latter being centrally recessed to provide apair of longitu dinally-extending, laterally-spaced foot elements eachhaving a corner for point contactof the can top adjacent the inner sideof such rim bead; a depending, hollow, parrot-nosed piercing blademounted to the under side of the other end of said lever member andhaving a lower, sharp, hole-starting tip, the root of said blade beingof a shape in cross-section of that of an isosceles triangle and havingthree angularly-disposed, downwardly extending, interconnected wallswith two of the latter constituting a pair of backwardly-divergingsidewalls meeting in a downwardly-extending curved nose edge terminatingin said tip and with the third sidewall thereof constituting aforeshortened backwall having a transverse bottom edge and arrangedsubstantially normal to the longitudinal axis of said lever member, saidtwo sidewalls having back lower edges forming sharp shearing edgesextending obliquely upward and back divergingly from said lower tip tosaid backwall transverse bottom edge, an appreciable lower portion ofthe nose edge of said blade being curved upwardly and forward toward theblade root substantially along the arc of a circle described about atransverse swing axis extending through the laterally-spaced footcontact points, the interior of said hollow blade providing a portion ofan outlet passage having its inlet opening behind said tip and below thetransverse edges of said backwall; said lever member being of a lengthappreciably less than the diameter of the can top rim bead to locatesaid blade tip initially on said can top at a point spaced appreciablyinward radially from the rim head when the lever foot portion is restedagainst the rim bead across on the opposite side of the can top and sothat when said lever member is swung down about the swing axis toabutment of the can top the front end of said lever member will be freeof contact with the rim bead; a raised circular land carried by the topside of said lever member above said hollow blade, said lever member andland having a hole extending upwardly therethrough at a point ofisetlaterally of the axis of said land and communicating with the interiorof said hollow blade to form together the outlet passage; and arotatable cylindrical cap concentrically mounted on said land for manualturning and having a hole extending through the circular top thereof ata point laterally offset from its axis for alignment with the land holein one radial position to provide an outlet opening for the passage, thecircular top covering the land hole in a substantially air-tight mannerin another radial position of said cap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,619,255 Bricout Nov. 25, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 208,180 Great BritainJan. 3, 1924 1,088,465 France Sept. 8, 1954

